Tag Archives: Art

This is something I just finished for a client. I have completed design and construction of a base for an art piece from the “My Favorite Machine” series,

The client had requested a stand to be less boisterous than the iconic culvert I had used originally. While I am immensely fond of the culverts, I understand that if she is to place this in her gallery next to her Andy Warhol prints as she said (which excites me, I admit), the culverts are a bit loud. So, I embarked on an effort to create a less loud alternative, still keeping with the original look and still structurally sound, yet a little less pronounced.

The design somewhat resembles an Egyptian Obelisk, in keeping with the metaphor of the smart phone as a monolith of the digital culture, however it is simplified and transparent, per my minimalist sculptural style. Industrial materials are used to render digital age themes in an industrial age motif.

The stand is constructed of steel in keeping with the aesthetic of the original art work, yet more understated than both the art and the previous platform. It has a much smaller footprint, being only 28 x 30 inches wide rather than 36 x 36, but it is extremely stable. The art can be easily removed from the stand and all pieces fit easily thorough doorways for easy portability. The steel legs have soft composite feet inserts to protect client’s floors.

This has been a labor of love it was very important that I create something that preserved the original spirit of the art work while making something less pronounced to better fit with the existing art collection in a home environment.

This is another step in the journey of TechXpressionism which is all about the impact of technology on our lives individually and collectively as a culture. I hope you can enjoy these as well.

RA+G Gallery Grand Opening was giant hit. Great turnout, lots of cool art on display in a fantastic gallery space. Congratulations Brenton, Jason, and staff! And thank you for letting me be a part of it.

Saturday May 16th, 2015
7 pm – 10 pm

Congratulations to the City of Frisco for supporting the Arts and infrastructure to ensure a great community continues amid all the growth.

For those who opposed the commitment toward a performing arts center because in their words, “There was no plan” I will tell you what I tell my colleagues in the IT business – And it is this:

“You can be included in the creative process to shape a plan or you can have only finished plans presented to you for approval, but you cannot have both”. – belveal

Everything starts with an idea and a sketch. A sketch is a representation of an idea, but not everything in detail. A sketch by its nature contains immense ambiguity. That ambiguity inspires creative minds to fill in the rest with possibilities.

It is often the same people who complain about being left out of the process that, when you include them, choke on the unanswered questions. Design is about solving problems and working hard over a period of time to find and develop answers to all those questions.

Anyone who has ever been successful at creating anything fully understands that there is ambiguity in the early stages. If you cannot handle that, you cannot be successful yourself and you will be in the way of others. The creative process is what converts great ideas filled with questions into finished viable plans with every detail worked out. I suppose this explains why some people perceive new innovations as magic. They just really have no idea what creativity is or how to do it.

For those creatives that do get it, thank you for your vision. There is a lot of work to do to do to make this dream a reality. Let’s build something awesome!

Wow, a lot is happening with the Performing Arts Center initiative since my last post.

The bond election committee has recommended an amount of ten million be offered to the voters to approve or disapprove. If the voters decide to approve it, then it simply means that the City Council has been authorized to sell bonds when and if they are satisfied that a solid plan for such a project exists.

Such a plan will require private donations in the millions. From Who? How about from the private developers currently investing B B B Billions right now. Yes Billions with a B.

Ever since the Cowboys announced their intentions to build a new practice facility to the north of the Hall Office Park, a strong band wagon has formed and is continuing to gain momentum. Luxury hotels, office parks, housing, and restaurants are piling up in the adjacent properties. And not too far down the road, Toyota is breaking grown on their new US headquarters. FedEx will follow soon.

Why is this happening? What is the big draw? Simple. Quality of life. Frisco has it with a great promise of it getting even better. Many great sports venues are here already and more are coming. That growth is great, but it represents a very lop sided quality of life. Anyone can recognize that Frisco needs to be well-rounded.

Bringing these kinds of investors on board with a plan to add a cultural arts center to the mix doesn’t seem far fetched at all. Empowering the Frisco city Council to foster such a partnership makes sense. But there must be some assurance the city is truly a partner. Without it, who will invest their dollars? Ten million in potential bonds to be sold if and when such a plan emerges shows the kind of commitment needed to get such investors to commit their resources to the making of the plan.